Hudson River line
by kirby1991
Summary: AU story of Finn and Rachel's relationship. Some elements from the show have been borrowed, some are out of my mind.


The sky was overcast. A row of crows gathered on the telephone lines, and there was unusual heaviness to the air that was otherwise absent. Today was just one of those peculiar days; it was one where most normal people preferred to stay indoors, perhaps watching movies or whatever it was families did. Finn Hudson wouldn't have known what families did. His family - meaning his step-father, step-brother, and mother - all abandoned him and moved to New York sometime after he was deployed overseas. It was supposed to be a Christmas present…his arrival, that is. But there was no one there to celebrate it with.

He loved Lima, Ohio. It was his home. He had roots there. He could probably drive the streets blindfolded if asked to. (Of course, for obvious reasons, he never attempted this.) He knew the name of the guy at Tony's Pizzas who'd always throw him a couple of extra slices, just because of his military interest. It was Jose. He knew the secret way to get into the movie theater. Hit the lock with a brick in the middle of the door. He knew that BreadstiX was legally obligated to withhold their promise of serving truly unlimited breadsticks. He tested that one more than once. He knew the house up on Woodward Street wasn't _really _haunted. It just had an unusual odor.

_There was a partially covered sun hanging in the sky. There were a few pigeons hanging around. It wasn't unusual for New York City. In fact, it was so commonplace that sometimes, birds even wandered into the shops to get a snack or two. It didn't usually work, but it was certainly worth the risk, especially to try a New-York style, signature hotdog, dribbling in mustard, ketchup, relish and onions. Though, Rachel Berry never partook in the latter. The consumption of meat, like many other things, was barbaric in her eyes. Her heart pattered in her chest as she pushed her elliptical farther into oblivion. It was the same elliptical she used in New York, all throughout high school. It logged over twenty-thousand miles from all of the mornings she walked on it, and all of the times she didn't quite feel adequate enough for a certain quarterback. She smiled as she watched the sun come up. It was her favorite part of the day…beating mother nature awake. She was a competitor in all aspects, including that one._

_She stepped off the treadmill and greedily sucked on her water. The column of her neck glistened with a few beads of sweat as they rolled down to meet the hem of her shirt. She glanced over to her bed, smiling at the sight before her. It was her boyfriend, Brody Weston. He was good-looking on most accounts; he was short, but he had an impressive build, a charming smile, and the muscles of a Britney Spears back-up dancer. He wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, sure. But he was dazzlingly handsome and he made her feel pretty. It was something she missed over the summer. Something she was lacking from someone else._

Finn grunted as he struggled with the door to his old house. He wasn't quite aware - at least not at this point - that his family moved. So, naturally, he was surprised to see a very tall, slender woman answer the door. She was dressed only in a robe. A see-through robe. He could feel his face light up like a Christmas tree as he ripped his gaze away. "Mom, put on some clothes," he finally stammered. Her nose curled in disgust. She was a twenty-seven-year-old Venezuelan model. She was certainly too young to have him as a son. She cursed him in whatever tongue she was native in before slamming the door in his face. He stood, confused and embarrassed.

"Boy, things change in a few months," he muttered as he laid his bag down and whipped out his phone. He never changed the background. He was greeted with a picture of Rachel, in her prom dress. He stared at it a moment before dialing his mom's number. "Uh, mom?" he asked, glancing back at the house. "Why weren't you wearing any clothes?" There was a brief chuckle from the other line, followed by a thorough explanation. Boy, that was embarrassing. And so was this, being stranded alone in Ohio.

—

"Babe, what tie would I look best in?" Brody asked as he held up a purple-striped tie and a candy cane one. Rachel smiled, almost disingenuously. He rarely took the time to help her when it came to issues like this, but she couldn't stoop to his level. She pointed to the purple-striped one before returning to her hair, humming to herself.

Something was off with her lately, and he couldn't put his finger on it. Carefully, he approached her and wrapped his arms around her from behind, his head burying in her neck to give it a bit of attention. "What's wrong with you?" he asked, finally looking up at her. "Huh?" She shrugged. She wasn't really in the mood for talking. The night before, he tried several times to…well, take things to the next level. She wasn't quite ready to be physically intimate with him yet. It just helped to have a warm body to sleep next to.

He huffed. "Fine," he said, pulling his arms back. "Don't tell me." He turned toward his mirror, adjusting the tie on his shirt. "But don't expect me to be all lovey-dovey with you at the party." His chin turned up as he finished the work. "And _don't _expect me to lie and tell my buddies that you've put out." He shoots her a momentary glare. "I don't see why you won't give me a chance." Her head ducked. She wasn't ashamed of herself for not sleeping with him. She just hated the fact that it was such a huge deal in their relationship. "I told you before," she begins. "It's not that easy. Sex isn't just sex to me." She clears her throat quietly. "A-and I would greatly appreciate your empathy on this subject. The last man I gave myself to abandoned me at a train station." She quietly rose from her seat and pattered out of the room, him watching in an almost disbelief. _She really had sex with that moron?_ he thought to himself. He sighed and shook his head a bit, before a large grin overtook him. He was going to get _something _tonight, even if it wasn't from her.

A quiet rain was falling in Lima as Finn sat at the bus station. Where was he going? He wasn't sure. He had enough money on his credit card to get him to Los Angeles if he wanted to, but there was nothing out there he wanted.

He carefully approached the window and looked at his options. "There's a Rome in New York?" he asked, clearly amazed by this. The cashier, however, was not in the mood for anything cutesy. "That'll run you $350," she said flatly, her finger on the charge key. He shook his head. "No…" He continued to look before making his decision. "I need…there." She turned her head up at the board. "_There?" she asked, a bit surprised. He nodded, a small grin forming. "There."_


End file.
